Tuesday

Random Hot Rant (?)

Received Tuesday, July 8, 2008 - RantI am so sick of seeing nannies about to keel over from the heat. I saw one today and she was red faced and swollen. I picture this nanny working for a pesky SAHM who is like "oh muffet, take Montana out of the house and keep her outside for five hours". This nanny was hot. And I mean hot, like you haven't seen before. She had a little girl with her that was also hot. The nanny was fanning herself and the little girl with a TV guide. She spritzed each of them with water. The little girl was about 2.5 and was able to sit and play in some shaded areas and move about. The nanny was a large woman and about 50 years old. She had sweat everywhere. I am telling you she had sweat coming out of her ears. She had a ring around her neck through her shirt of sweat. She had sweat under her arms and dripping right off of her face. I was so embarrassed for her because when she stood, the creases of her pants were laden with sweat. So to all you pesky SAHMS who live it up in your air conditioned posh pads, stop making your nannies take the children out. Why don't you go out? Go to a spa. Go get a pedi. Go sit at the country club. Have the driver drive you out to the shore or out to Westchester. This is so unfair. Stop doing it. Who am I? A nanny who was told to take my 3 year old charge to the park for a "bit" for some "fresh air". There is no FRESH AIR today, woman. I wasn't as hot as the big nanny, but I was plenty hot. By the time I walked home, my sweaty thighs were rubbing together and now I have a rash or something. Very uncomfortable. I am very uncomfortable. I lost it today. I told my boss I was having a headache from the heat and felt sick and needed to leave. She looked so bothered. How dare should I leave at 4 instead of 7? After all, I am leaving a stay at home mom alone with her one and only child. For shame.What was my boss doing while I was forced out of the house on a 96 degree day with 100 percent humidity? Why looking at sample wallpapers with her decorator. We could play very very quiet in the basement, but nooooooo. Too much comfort for me. I hate my job. I hate my life.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't have much sympathy for the OP. If you have no respect for the woman you work for, why don't you get a new job? Find a working mother and a position where you'll have some automity. If you don't think the weather is suitable to take the kids out it, open your mouth BEFORE it's 4pm and you've got a headache.

If you hate your life, look in the mirror because that's the only place you're going to find the person who can change things for you.

Why did you have to go on and on about the sweaty "large" nanny? I feel like you disrespected the poor woman by talking in such detail about how much she sweat! Why couldn't you just talk about how you were hot? That wasn't really a valid "nanny sighting", so the discription wasn't really necessary.

And yeah, isn't chafing on your legs the worst? I make the mistake of wearing skirts in hot weather often... and it often leads to chafing.

ya know, I too despise lazy mommies who SAH and have nannies..but here is the deal. It is none of my business and if you choose to work for her, you too need to remember it is none of your business!

She is entitled to do nothing with her life..she makes sure that her children are cared for and that is first and foremost. She obviously made sure that she is taken care of financially (however that may be) and she can afford to pay someone else to raise her children. That my dear is her perrogative!You may not like it but it truly is not your business. If she pays you a fair wage and pays you on time , you need to keep your opiion to your self and do your job. Afterall..who are you to judge..perhaps she is not as capable as you are or as qualified as you are when it comes to the mommy department..maybe she knows this and feels that her children are better cared for by you..what is important is that the children feel loved and are well taken care of..and it seems as though in your care they are!

If your anger is eating at you as much as it appears to be from your post, you might want to consider working elsewhere, afterall, that kind of anger day in and day out is just as miserable as chaffed thighs!!

I hate my job too. I hate stupid work. It sucks. All I want to do is blog about michael pitt and find hawt pictures of draco to download. work distracts me from this and doesn't allow me enough time in which to do it.

as a sahm with a ft nanny, I feel for you BUT, assuming the other nanny didn't want to be out is a bit of a stretch. My nanny INSISTED on taking my 15 mos old to the park today despite me telling her that I was perfectly fine if they stayed indoors or went to the indoor playground 1 block from my apt. Ironically I was also working with contractors, but I have 2 other kids whom I schlep have to get ready, pick up and drop off from 2 different 'camps' so my nanny just cares for the little one. (just so people don't start flaming me full force). My nanny and dd were only gone a little over an hour total (my nanny believes dd needs fresh air every day, although I don't...but I leave that decision to her). If your employer is really that clueless then perhaps you should look for another position, but don't rant about all sahms with nannies and make us all out to be evil. You don't know the other nanny's reason for being at the park, you only know your own

OP, I know that it's much easier to say: "get a new job" than to actually find a suitable one that is worth leaving the security of a paycheck behind for... BUT, I have to agree with most everything that has been said so far, you are in charge (to a great extent) of your destiny...take the control back and please start seeking a new job. For every crappy boss there is a good one. Find a family that won't disrespect you, and that will treat you with the same regard they'd treat an "equal", because that is how you should be viewed; as an equal.

WIth that said, my sympathies truly go out to you! There is not too terribly many things worse than feeling trapped out in weather that is so hot it becomes miserable! I'm sorry you had to go through that discomfort, and please if for nothing else but the fact that you shouldn't have to go through life hating it, find yourself a job that you can at least be comfortable in, if not happy. Life's short, and not all jobs are created equal!

Tis true, sometimes when you're so dang hot and your job gets on your nerves you do need to rant it out. Perhaps the job is not always this bad so she does not have to quit. Everyone has these kind of days in any kind of job. Is Kate new? I saw her comment on another post and all I have to say is....yikes. Anyway, OP I sympathize. I hope you went home cranked up your AC cracked open an ice cold beverage and rested your head because tomorrow it begins again. Hope you have a better day.

It is definitely a nanny's market in NYC. If you are miserable because of your employer, leave. If you are miserable because you don't like being a nanny, find a different line of work. Personally, there are days I envy the nannies getting paid to do what the majority of SAHM's do without even a thank you. But, I don't think I could do it.

OP, I hope you were just having a bad day, and needed to rant. If you really hate your job, you should take steps to make a change, for your own sake, and the child's.I've been in the playground on several days like that this summer. My charges love playing in the sprinklers, and I go right in with them. They fill their pails with the cold water, and pour it on my hot feet. It cools me off. If you are given lemons, make lemonade, know what I mean?I probably looked like a sweaty pig, but I was there by choice, I fortunately don't work for a SAHM!

OMG! Really OP?? Then get a new damn job! You are the one who signed up to work with this SAHM you loathe... or is it that you are jealous of her. There is an awful stench of jealousy in every sentence of your post!

I feel your pain, girl! I didn't even bother to read the other comments because I'm sure they're laden with "Get over it!" type comments. My former employers used to send me out with their baby as soon as I got there in the morning for a "brisk morning walk." Morning walks where I live are only "brisk" about two weeks out of the year and when I got there at the buttcrack of dawn, I had never had breakfast and they damn well didn't care. They just didn't want their precious kid crying when Mommy and Daddy left. That was their only viable solution, seeing as how even when we shut the door to her room (their suggestion), Mommy couldn't resist coming in there to say goodbye "one last time" and leave me with a screaming 9 month old. Grr.

Let the woman have her Rant, for godsake, already! Which one of you who gave this nanny a hard time for bitching about her day and her boss has never had a reason to complain. A Rant is a Rant is a Rant! (sometimes it actually helps, ya know?) She didn't ask for anyone's advice, did she?

op, do you really hate your employer? if so, i would look elsewhere and concentrate on finding employment with wohms (which might better fit your philosophy). if you still want to work for this woman, why don't you say "it's really hot, and i think it would be bad for Suzy to go out in this weather. if you need her out of the house, could i take her to the museum or an indoor playgym?" act like you are the expert on children's welfare in certain temperatures. moms love a nanny who gives sage wisdom and comes up with fun activities for dc.

You have no respect for your employer and therefore should not be working for her. (I wouldn't have any, either.)

If you enjoy nannying, find a family with work away from home parents. It's night and day different, trust me. Many nannies won't work with SAHP's because of ALL the issues around it. It's much more irritating for a variety of reasons to most people. That's just the way it is.

You must live in Northern California... it was 110* here today. The family I work for doesn't have a/c so the house isn't much better than being outside. I had to schlep the kids around to their activities all day and we were all just miserable.

calif nanny here...12:57..there are people here in Southern Calif that live in million dollar homes and dont have a/c. My dad for one, and my mom too. It was pleasant out today at a cool 85, I have a/c and ran it today. As far as the going out in the heat..I work for a SAHD and he wants us out of the house too, even if its 100+ outside. I take my kids to indoor playareas or sometimes to my house which is air conditioned at all times. Im also a large, older, premenaposal, sometimes having hot flashes nanny. LOL

i really hate being hot and i wouldn't want to go out in 96* weather. ugh. aren't there any indoor play areas? i don't know where you live, but we have a ton of indoor options here due to the long rainy season. or can you find any parks that have water sprayers? or a public pool where you and your charge can cool down? can you go for a drive in the air conditioned car?

i don't understand why the mom would want you OR her young child out when it's so hot. it's more than just a comfort issue; it's unsafe.

Op I would have found the first ice cream place and parked there.I have a sister in law were call Muffet LOL SHe acts the same way as your boss, the kids Have to go out and play 25 below or 110 in the shade, she needs her "rest" rest from what? SHe has a nanny and a housekeeper. Probably needs rest from all the plastic surgery she has had. When it gets hot like it was today here in No. Ca. our nanny puts the hose on in the back yard and they all run thru it or she heads for Half Moon Bay to the beach with them.By the way we don't have A/C eitherwe rarely need it . If it gets too hot we put the fans on and then go out for ice cream lolYou need to speak up OP and tell this woman No we are not going to the park and raost and sweat. I will get a head ache and your child dislikes the heat too. We will go to the basement and stay out of your hair while you pick out wallpaper or whatever. If she still insists you two go out and bake, ask for the car and go to the ice cream joint or a movie and sit in the A/C. You do have a car right???

I can't imagine going out for very long in that kind of weather. It was 110+ here in the desert today. Almost no one goes to the parks here from June-August, at least during the day. There are a lot of indoor activities though. My dd and I played basketball and ran on a track today. There are also lots of splash pads and outdoor 'fountain pools' for running through. Not every area of the country is designed that way, esp. those that don't always have extreme weather. But I digress! Just would like to say not all SAHM's are the same. I worked at home and also worked a lot with my nanny. She gave me the chance to give my daughters extra attention for their delays.

My days were long, yes that's what I signed up for, but I never asked my nanny to do anything I wouldn't do. The hours and pay were good. The hours were 9-5, not 7am-7pm, and even then some nannies are left waiting and wondering when their boss will get home.

Oh God, I worked for a SAHM who was forever sending us to the park. Not that the park was much worse than the house. Her husband was an a/c nazi. I'm all for taking the kids outside, and spend a great deal of time outdoors with my current charges, but I decide when and where we go. When it's going to be really hot we go out in the morning, or go swimming. I wouldn't be caught dead climbing on the jungle gym in the 95 degree afternoon sun.

Speaking of Umass getting a grip I actually googled your sn( bc you post on here WAY too much and are really annoying) and you blog all day long on EVERY website. MY GOD. Do you have a life? do you do anything else? I was astounded at the amount of search results I got back! Harry Potter? Seriously? How old are you? Do you have a job? Do you even have children? Pathetic

if the family i work for tells me to go outside in this california heat(yesterday the temperature outside was 110) i would tell them to %%% themselves!i am not their slave and its not like the pay me a lot of money either, theay are a very cheap family and sometimes dont even turn on their AC!

Here in Fort Lee, New Jersey its very humid. Yesterday was terrible. I took my son out, but not anywhere outdoors. I live right near a park. There were some mommies and nannies I know with the kids around 9:30. I thought they were crazy to be out. I came back home around 11:30 and they were still out there! Whats wrong with people.

Oh geez. If you don't like your job, find another. Quit whining. It's summer for crying out loud. HOT HAPPENS IN SUMMER. No matter where you are, weather, pretty predictable for the time of the year, is going to occur.I'm sorry the nanny is hot and uncomfortable. If she's hot enough to be feeling ill, it's time to move inside, taking care of herself AND her charge.

I feel for you!I live in FL and it's often really hott here. I am just thankful for the pool and the fact that my charge can now swim!!!Reading your post makes me so much more thankful for my job, crappy pay and all

i live in northern california (land of many fires, currently) and it's gradually reaching 100 as we speak. my boss would rather if i do go out with the kid that we go to someplace cool. she encourages it. this house has no a/c (and for the most part, doesn't need it) but still gets slightly unbearable during heatwaves in the late afternoon.

print out something about the heat advisories that are put out when the weather is so hot and craptastic. it will be right there in black and white that not only is is not safe for you, it's especially not safe for young children.

and in regards to your rant? how much better did you feel once you got it all out? i know all too well how it all builds up and then you just have to burst. hope it helped!

Too bad that you have such negative feelings about your job and employer. Hot weather seems to get to me more and more as each new summer season emerges. BTW, that fifty-some nanny might be hot and sweaty because of more than just the heat.

Sometimes we need to make changes in our lives. Maybe you should consider if you have arrived at that point? Good luck.

This is one of the reasons why I question why a SAHM needs a FT nanny, and a reason why I won't work for a SAHM or WAHM. Wisconsin state policy, as enforced by the DHFS, states that if the temp and the heat index are over 90*, or if the heat index is above 4, then we cannot go outside. The parent forcing the nanny to take the child outside in weather like this makes me think the mother is a lazy, selfish brat who is decorating her decorator. OP, if this should occur again, offer up some suggestions on alternate activites for the two of you, such as an indoor park or playground with A/C. If your employer doesn't like those suggestions, then find a new employer who isn't lazy or selfish, as this one appears to be.

Air conditioning is a relatively new invention. Back in the day, humans worked (and hard, outdoors, on farms) played and survived without it. I think heat bothers us more now days because we spend so much time indoors in AC that our bodies don't acclimate to the heat like they used to.

All these people saying HOT HAPPENS IN SUMMER blah blah blah must not be nannies forced outside by evil mommies. Who VOLUNTARILY goes out side on a day that's 100 and 100%humidity especially in NYC??? The stench alone can kill you.

I live in a 1.2 million dollar house in the Los Angeles area and don't have a/c. We don't really need it b/c I'm near the beach. FYI. Tho, sometimes I wish we had it. Just a few days of the year really. Ok, just thot I'd mention...

That would piss me off, too--good for you for saying you were going home. And she was looking at wallpaper with her decorator--in air conditioned comfort! Shame on this stupid mom for sending you and the child out when it's sweltering...she's an idiot!!!!!!

DHFS (Dept. Health and Family Servivces) regulates all operating daycares in the State of Wisconsin. The state has restrictions about children going outside when the heat index is over 90*, in which case we can't take children outside. I am sure other states have similar policies when it comes to this kind of thing for children in group childcare. The point I was trying to make with my post is that if I or any of my co workers can't take children outside in extreme heat as setforth by the state rules regarding daycare, WHY would this parent want to put her child and nanny in harm's way by forcing the nanny to take the child out when it was so hot?

I love the families I work for, but I do have one family that would like their children to be outside for the entire 10 hours a day I watch then. No matter what the weather. I pushed the huge double stroller through a foot or more of snow on multiple occassions this winter and now when the weather hits 95 and is humid I'm made to feel guilty if I choose to stay inside. They don't have air conditioning but it's still cooler in their house than outside sometimes. What they fail to recognize is that I don't drive, so everywhere I take the kids is by walking or public transportation. They have a nice air conditioned/heated vehicle.

To top it off, I broke my ankle while watching their kids this spring. I broke it on a Friday and on Monday I was expected to go on with my regular duties.

I love these kids but their parents tend to forget that I'm human, too.

I just want you to realize that this job (I mean nannying) can be a lot better than it is for you.

When it is hot, the family should allow you to take the kids to the library, bookstore, movies, mcdonalds play area, indoor kids gym, playdate at a friend's house, a community pool or the mall. You can also offer to take the kids to do the family's grocery shopping.

There are ways to make a lot these outings both inexpensive and/or educational. For example, I feed the kids before we go to McDonalds and just get them each an ice cream for 1.00. (The parents should pay for some of these treats as well as these things can really add up.)

You should at least ask for the parents to buy a membership to an indoor kids play area as an alternative to the park when it's nasty outside.

If you are concerned you won't be allowed to take the kids these places, just consider this. The mother I work for is very paranoid and she gradually even let me take the kids many places. So just know that if the parents you work for will not provide these options for you just know that other families will.

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